Red All Over
by k-a-dg
Summary: Tumblr roleplaying thread written in 2012. Paragraphs by Duchess written by Tumblr user claudiatheredbimbette. The characters of Claudia & Ariel are completely owned by the Walt Disney Company.


Claudia's chin rested in her hands as she sighed-the only noise in the empty tavern. _It's always empty in here during the day…I wonder why we're even open…_ she thought. The clock ticked, and minutes felt like hours of staring at the wooden table, playing with a napkin, tearing it to shreds.

Until the young girl looked up, and something caught her eye-something she's never seen before. Claudia was drawn from the bar and to the window, like a moth to a flame. _Is that red…hair?!_ She questioned in her mind, so close to the window now her button nose and delicate hands pressed against it.

The blonde's eyes were wide as she stared at the red hair-red as her dress, and followed it's every movement, in admiration and wonder….

 _"French bread!"_ Chef Louis had exclaimed that morning. " _Zat iz what I need!"_ The royal chef had had an idea for a exquisite dinner for the evening. He wanted authentic French bread. So what better place to get some than France itself?

Ariel had dismissed the messenger that was supposed to go retrieve the bread. She wanted to go back to Belle and Adam's little town. Maybe she could even look for some baby clothes.

A few hours later, the carriage had pulled into the small town, revealing the busy, bustling life of the people who dwelled in it. Ariel stepped out of the carriage carefully, small bag in tow, walking through the cobblestone streets while trying to avoid getting pushed by people.

Claudia knew that women could dye their hair-of course, she never had to because of its perfect blonde color-but she had _never_ heard of someone dying their hair red. She was beyond entranced, following the woman's every move.

Claudia stared the stranger down, amazement in her eyes. The blonde looked silly, of course, with her nose and hands pressed to the window, but she didn't care, or even notice. Only staring, staring the red hair down…

Looking around, Ariel tried to see where the local bakery was. However, with so many people bustling about, it was hard to see the signs on each of the buildings.

Suddenly Ariel stopped searching, noticing someone watching her. In what looked like a bar, a young, pretty blonde girl was staring at her wondrously through a window. Unsure of what to do, the redhead awkwardly have the girl a small, forced smile and a tiny wave of the hand.

It took Claudia a few seconds to realize that the girl was looking back at her, but when she did, the blonde jumped back and gasped. "Um…" she stuttered, even though she knew the stranger couldn't hear her through the window. She laughed nervously as her face turned red in an also very nervous blush.

Claudia tapped on the glass and motioned for the stranger to come closer. A warm, friendly, excited smile on her face. _LOOK, FRIEND, COME HERE LADY I AM FRIENDLY LOOK YOU HAVE RED HAIR THATS MY FAVORITE COLOR PLEASE COME HERE I WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU LOOK LOOK MY DRESS IS RED LIKE YOUR HAIR ISN'T THAT FUNNY LOOK LOOK PLEASE BE MY FIREND._ Claudia practiced in her mind all the things she wanted to say to the stranger, but managed to hold back some, not wanting to scare the woman…

Ariel raised an eyebrow at the young blonde girl, giving her a quizzical look. _She looks kinda strange.. And she's all alone in a tavern.. Maybe she had a little too much to drink.._

However, the redhead found herself hesitantly walking towards the glass. Part of her felt guilty. She was approaching this girl like she was some kind of caged shark, instead of a regular person.

Claudia gasped excitedly when Ariel was close enough. Then she motioned to her dress, then to Ariel's hair, smiling and laughing-full of energy. _LOOK FRIEND SEE THE COLORS MATCH THE COLORS ARE THE SAME THEY ARE ONE COLOR STRANGER LOOK MY FAVORITE COLOR IS RED YOU ARE RED LOOK LOOK CAN I TOUCH IT I WANT TO TOUCH IT LOOK LOOK AR THE RRRRREEEEEEEDDDDDDDD_

Ariel's hesitant look turned to one of pure confusion when she saw the young girl motioning to her dress and Ariel, dress and Ariel. Ariel shook her head at her, not understanding what the young blonde was trying to say.

Finally, Ariel frowned and walked away from the window, opening the tavern door so she could see what the girl was trying to say. When she walked in, she looked at the clearly very excited girl, who continued to gape at her. The redhead looked down at herself and back at the girl over and over again. _Is it my belly? Does she want to say something about the baby?_

Finally, Ariel said cautiously, "Uh.. Can I help you?"

Claudia gasped happily and grew giddy- like she was starstruck. "Madame!" she said, approaching the stranger, "Madame! Your hair! Your hair matches my dress! Red is my favorite color and _you have red hair_! I've never seen anything like that before, madame! It is so, so beautiful!" The girl sighed dreamily, looking admiringly at Ariel's hair. "That's what I was trying to say before, you see," Claudia pinched a little bit of fabric on her dress, "it matches your hair!" The blonde's smile was sweet, genuine and innocent.

Ariel giggled at the young girl's giddy, innocent tone. She glanced down at the girl's dress, then lifted a strand of her own hair. "You're right!" she smiled. _Wow, this girl really loves red._

"Well, _I_ like your dress," the princess smiled. She extended a hand towards the blonde. "I'm Ariel."

Claudia squeaked excitedly, gently taking the woman's hand and shaking it. "My name is Claudine, but please call me Claudia!" The teenager sighed, again looking at the stranger's hair. "I've yet to wear another color besides red in my whole entire life, you know. Ohh, what I'd give to have red hair! How do you do it? How do you make it so _beautifully_ red?"Claudia's mind rambled at the thought of having red hair, _Please please tell me I want it too I want to do it too come on please please please come on red is my thing I always wear red but red hair? Pleeeeeease?_

"Really?" Ariel asked, her eyes widening. "Nothing but red? Wow," she giggled, "that's actually very impressive!" Now it was clear to the princess why Claudia loved her hair so much.

Twisting her hair in her fingers, Ariel looked at it and shrugged. "Well, I.. I don't do anything to it, actually." She gave her a sheepish smile. "It's all natural." The former mermaid looked at the eager expression on Claudia's face and smiled. "I'm guessing you want to have hair like this?"

"Ooh, I think hair like that would be lovely!" Claudia gushed, "I'm a triplet, madame, so people are always calling me by my sisters names. Thats why I always wear red. Each of us has one color that we always wear to make it easier to tell us apart! But some people don't even pay attention to that and only see us and call us a name. It doesn't matter which name, just any old name!" she rambled on, "It's so frustrating! But oh, if I had hair like yours, everyone would know I'm not one of my sisters! But then again, I'd really really stick out which also isn't good because no one around here had red hair. You're not from Ireland, are you? Or Scotland? I don't hear an accent…" It was here the young blonde realized how much she had been rambling, and blushed from embarrassment, "Oh.." she said, a slight laugh, "Pardon me, I…I just really do love your hair…"

Ariel's eyes widened. "A triplet? Wow, that's really amazing!" She smiled at Claudia, and suddenly thought of her sisters. Giggling, she reassured the young blonde, "Well, I have 7 other sisters, so we were really just known to the other mer- uh, people, as 'Princess.' I mean, we didn't look alike, but there were so many of us that people didn't even bother trying to remember all of our names." She chuckled and added, " _Especially_ since they all begin with an 'A.'"

The former mermaid sighed and shrugged, glancing at her fiery locks. "Yeah, I guess it's nice." She frowned, her thin brows furrowing together. "It just attracts a _lot_ of attention sometimes, you know?"

When Claudia mentioned where Ariel was from, Ariel's face relaxed and she chuckled, shaking her head a bit. "No, I'm not from either of those places. I'm from Denmark."

"That is a lot of little girls!" Claudia giggled, remember how her own house was nuts with just three of them when they were younger, she couldn't imagine seven. "And all with the same letter, too? Oh my, your parents must have been very very good with telling the difference!" She giggled.

"Ohh, I can imagine! But it's so, _so_ beautiful, Madame. I just think it's the lovliest color. And you're so lucky to be born with such a beautiful color hair! And Denmark? Well, I've never heard of that place. Actually, I've never met someone from their either! What brings you to France?"

Ariel laughed with Claudia, but quickly stopped when she mentioned her parent **S**. Immediately she was flooded with the few memories she had of her mother. "It was my.. my mother's idea. Her name began with an 'A' as well, and we were all so much like her.. It fit us." She took a deep breath, trying to diminish her downcast expression.

"But thank you, Claudia, really!" she said more cheerfully. "And well, the head chef back at the castle wanted to find some 'real, authentic French bread,' as he called it. Since I had nothing better to do, I insisted that I come here and get some, and well, here I am!" She giggled, shrugging as she started twirling her hair again.

Claudia could tell the mention of 'parents' had upset her new friend, and made a mental note to not mention it again.

"I can help you with that!" Claudia said, also perking back up, "I can show you to the bakery, if you'd like. Oh, he's a bit of a creepy one, but the bread is delicious." Claudia had started wandering toward the back, and the girl slipped her apron over her head and hung it on the wall. "My sister should be here soon, and no ones here anyway. It's right down the street, you see, not too far from here!" Claudia giggled after she finished talking, also shrugging a little bit.

The redhead grinned, waiting patiently for Claudia. "Oh, thanks, Claudia, that would be great," Ariel said, sounding relieved. Though she thought the little town was wonderful, she realized she was already there longer than expected, since she had gotten lost so many times.

Ariel stepped outside with Claudia, following her direction. Almost instantly, the princess spotted the little shop, noticing the oscillating bakery sign swinging back and forth. She felt herself blush a bit, a tad embarrassed she didn't see the sign a few minutes earlier.

"After you, madame!" Claudia said as she opened the door to the bakery for her guest. But she took Ariel's forearm, gently pulling her a little closer to whisper, " _Don't make eye contact_." In a serious voice, to let the redhead know that she was not joking.

"Bonjour!" The baker hollered as they entered, "And what can I get for the _lovely_ ladies today?" the man asked, a thick French accent with a bit of a rasp, his mustache oily and his eyebrows dancing as he looked at them.

Ariel glanced nervously at Claudia when she whispered a warning, taking note of the sudden seriousness in the girl's tone. She gave a slight and brief nod of the head, just apparent enough for the blonde to see.

"Uhh… Bread?" The princess asked, trying to sound natural as she wondered about why Claudia had acted so strangely about the baker. She bit her lip, pretending to occupied.

"Aw, oui!" The skittish baker replied, almost singing as he disappeared into the back.

Claudia put a finger on her lips, motioning for Ariel to keep quiet as the baker returned. "I have two fresh loaves for you, mademoiselle." He said to Ariel, placing the bread on the counter as his bushy, brown eyebrows danced again. "But you will have to come closer to get them." he said suggestively, waving her closer.

 _NOPE,_ Claudia thought, and ran in front of Ariel, grabbing the bread and throwing a few coins on the counter. "Okay thank you au revoir" Claudia said quickly, taking Ariel's hand and pulling her out of the bakery.

Ariel's eyes lifted in surprise at the man's comment, automatically stepping back as she wrapped her arms around her middle. She felt herself exhale in relief when Claudia quickly took the bread and pulled Ariel out of the store.

The redhead shuddered. "He's a bit.. Um.." She bit her lip, taking another step away from the bakery.

"A bit creepy." Claudia said bluntly, then also shuddered before handing Ariel the bread. "But trust me, you won't find better bread in all of Colmar!" The blonde said enthusiastically, but thought, _Actually, you won't find any other bread in all of Colmar. He's our only baker._ And she shrugged, guiding her guest away from the bakery. "Is there anything else you need, Madame?"

She nodded in agreement and exhaled, walking with Claudia back down the cobblestone street. Taking the bread from Claudia, Ariel replied more happily, "That's it! Thank you so much for your help, Claudia, really. It was really sweet of you." She smiled softly at the young blonde before catching a whiff of the delicious bread. "Mm, this smells delicious!" she giggled.

"It does!" Claudia agreed, "Actually it- oh! Oh, Madame! Please don't take this the wrong way but… are you with child?" Claudia tried to ask as politely as she could, and was ready to run if the answer was no. _I know it's dangerous to ask a lady if she's pregnant but the rest of her is so tiny and oh goodness I bet the little baby's gonna have red hair too and it's going to be the prettiest baby in the whole entire world augh how adorable…_

Ariel giggled at Claudia's discomfort before nodding happily. "Yes, I am. Only a few months along so far, though." The redhead placed a gentle hand over her belly.

Claudia placed her hands on her heart, and said, "Aw… I, I'm so happy for you…" The blonde said, and smiled a small, innocent smile. "You certainly seem happy!" Claudia let out a small giggle, and a faint smile spread on her lips. She was always a bit awkward when it came to pregnancies, as she never knew what to say or how to act, always feeling a certain incompetence about the subject, but tried to seem as 'normal' as she could…

"Oh, well thank you," the redhead replied graciously. "You'll have to come visit when he or she is born." She smiled at the blonde, taking note of the sudden silence that passed between them.

"Well, I guess I should get going," Ariel said hesitantly, lifting the bread a bit. "Chef Louis is going to need this soon."

Claudia smiled a more comfortable smile, and said, "Here, let me guide you back to our carriage…" And motioned to where she had remembered Ariel was dropped off. _If the baby doesn't have red hair I think I might cry…_ Claudia thought.

"Thank you," she nodded, following Claudia back down the road. Ariel saw her carriage waiting in the same place she had been dropped off. Turning to Claudia, Ariel embraced her and said, "Thanks for all your help today, Claudia. I'll be sure to get in contact with you once the baby is born. And maybe we could find a way to get you some red hair." She winked and giggled.

Claudia hugged Ariel back, and said, "It was no problem, really! And you can always find me here, I don't go many other places" Claudia giggled, running a hand through her own hair, "I think I'll stick with my blonde locks, actually… I think they fit me." And she let out a small giggle again, smiling.

Ariel chuckled in return, nodding in agreement. "I do, too." She turned and stepped into the carriage carefully. She heard her driver click his tongue, bringing the horse to attention as they began to head back home.

As they began to leave, Ariel peeked her head out the window and waved politely. "Goodbye, Claudia! Thanks again." She sunk back into her seat with a content sigh. The young blonde French girl's bubbly personality could put anyone in a great mood. Kinda like Arista.


End file.
